Let's turn to Genesis chapter 31. This is a passage in Jacob's life which is full of the redemption blessings that the church is given in Christ. In fact, there are so many blessings that are detailed here in this chapter I had to whittle it down. so we could focus on just a few of these things, a coherent word. Now, when we're looking at the Lord's blessings, I want you to remember these four things. I put it in the bulletin so you can read it later, but first, all our blessings are given to us in Christ. all the blessings of God are given to us in Christ. Second, all our blessings are contained in and given because of the redemption of Jesus Christ. If there was no redemption, we would not be blessed of God. Third, because of Jesus Christ, they are freely given to us of God. We don't earn these blessings. We don't work for these blessings. They are freely given of God to His people for Christ's sake. And fourth, Christ our Lord makes His people to know these blessings through the giving of His Spirit and Word. That's how He reveals them to you and manifests these blessings to us in Christ. Now, by way of reminding us, because it's been a while since we've been in chapter 31. But an example of these redemption blessings we saw the last time we were here is in the first 16 chapters, where the Lord told Jacob, get up. It's time to go back to the land of your fathers, to Canaan. He said, return unto the land of thy fathers, and to thy kindred, and I will be with thee. And then were told how that Jacob gathered his wives, Rachel and Leah, and he declared to them the word that the Lord gave to him. And the Lord blessed that word, making it effectual to Rachel and Leah, a picture of the church, hearing the word. That word made effectual. They received it, and they believed it, confessing, what you're saying, Jacob, is what God has showed us. We see it. We hear what you're saying, and we agree. We believe. And they said, all that God has said unto thee, do. And that is the confession of the church, is it not? Don't we agree with that testimony of our God? The Spirit Himself testifies that we are the children of God. He makes this known to us. And this is a picture of what we've been seeing in 1 John 1 verse 5, when John said, this then is the message which we have heard of Him and declare unto you. Jacob heard the message and declared it to the church. And God blessed it and made it effectual to them. God testifying, these are my children. These are my children. And so if you would know, am I a child of God? If you have an interest and you would know, am I a child of God? Then come and hear the word preached because the spirit makes that word effectual and testifies that these things are so. Lord, reveal them in my heart. He reveals these things, and then it follows, that if we are children, then heirs, heirs of God and join heirs with Christ, if so be that we suffer with him. we may be also glorified together. And so I want to show you just a portion of these truths being set forth and traced out for us here in the rest of this chapter 31. Maybe we'll come back and look at the others but I want to just focus on a few things here this morning. Now when the Lord blesses his children to hear the gospel there is a rising up of Christ in you. He's going to reveal Christ in you. He's going to make you to know Christ, to hear Him. There's going to be life in you. And that's the new birth. A new birth takes place and there's a resurrection from the dead. We live in and by the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul even speaks of this power in Philippians 3 verse 10 when he said that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection. That's the power we need. Every day, every hour, Lord, I want to know the power of your resurrection. Rise up in me, Lord. Give me life. Help me to hear and to believe and to walk after Christ in faith, being led of your spirit. I may know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death. Through our sufferings, our Lord is making us conformed to Christ. We die daily in Christ by His grace, by His power. These things are given to you and I for our good, for our good to strip us and to to whittle away our beauty and what we think we are in the flesh, and to make us to know, nope, Christ is all, and I'm satisfied with him. He does that for us, brethren. Now, this is what we see in this chapter, and we'll see this in our text. The gospel's been revealed to Jacob. He's declared it to his wives. And we are told we see this rising up and they begin their journey now to Canaan. Verse 17 Then Jacob rose up and set his sons and his wives upon camels. Now understand that Jacob is a type of the Lord Jesus Christ. We'll see Jacob's a type of the believer and Jacob is a type of the Lord Jesus Christ. And anytime a believer is seen doing any work, any trust of the Lord, we see Christ in it. Because who's doing it in you? Who's working that fruit in you? But the Lord Jesus Christ. And so we see Jacob's a type of the believer, and we see in this chapter Jacob is a type of Christ who rises up and sets his children and his wives upon camels. camels. When our Lord had finished the work of redeeming his bride the church he rose up from the grave and he sent forth his gospel with power and authority into the hearts of his people. And they heard that word and Christ arose in them. They were raised from the dead. And they heard the word, and they rejoiced in that word of God, saying, all that the Father hath said unto you, do it. That's our confession. We hear it. We see it. We know it. We believe what's being declared unto us. And it's a testimony that God hath from the beginning chosen you unto salvation through sanctification of the spirit and belief of the truth. These are all manifest blessings made known unto the redeemed church that God hath done this. So there's a witness by the spirit of God that you're the sons and daughters of God. There is a witness that Christ is your spouse, your husband. Now, what are these camels? Jacob rose up and put his sons and daughters on camels. Have we seen anything about camels before? yes we did in verse 24 actually I'm sorry chapter 24 Genesis 24 that's when Abraham sent his servant out to seek a bride for his son Isaac and we're told that the servant set out from Abraham with 10 camels and those camels were beasts of burden bearing treasure and riches out of the treasure of their master, of their Lord, of Abraham at that time. And they went across the desert, through that wilderness, seeking out the bride. And when they came to the bride, those riches were brought forth and shown to the bride. And she saw the glory of her Lord. And she believed that word which was spoken that these are from your Lord, your husband. He's back there in Canaan. Go to him. And she went believing. And those camels which were sent out of the Lord were as blessings and carried Rebekah through the barren desert, through that wilderness, and preserved her and provided for her and brought her safely to the land of her inheritance in Canaan to the arms of her waiting husband. That's what those camels did and that pictures the blessings that our God has given to us in the Lord Jesus Christ. All these redemption blessings are given to us as strong camels who can go deep into the wilderness, long journeys without needing any water because the water is within them. as a fountain within us, flowing so that on these camels we never thirst for another righteousness. We have found him of whom all the law and the prophets speak and testify. We found him whom we've longed for. We've heard him and believe him and trust him. And so our God has done this for us. We see these comforts for our transport, such as the giving of the spirit, the preaching of the word, the giving of his life, to the raising up of Christ in us, the bearing of his fruits, to bring us, to aid us, to comfort us, to go with us along the way to our heavenly home, our heavenly Canaan. And so our Lord has sent these blessings, these camels, to carry the weary pilgrim through a barren land, and to carry us safely through so that we will not expire and pass out and fall on the way, but we shall make it safely to that inheritance that he's promised us and given us in the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, Another blessing, I gave you that for a reason, we'll come back to these camels, but the next blessing that I want to show you is this mount. So as they set out, we're told that what the Lord teaches us through the gospel is that we cannot be touched by our enemies. He's made such sufficient protection for us that we cannot be touched by our enemies, even the devil who hates us, who hates the true and living God, hates his Christ, hates his word, and hates you that believe the Lord Jesus Christ. He's on a leash. He's a servant also. He can't do anything to you unless God permits him, unless God allows it. And if God allows it, it is for your good. It's for the good of his people and to teach us and to provide for us in Christ. It will always be according to purpose. But as we read this chapter, you'll notice an enemy in Laban. And Laban sets out in pursuit of Jacob and all of Jacob's belongings, of his wives, his children, his cattle. He goes after him, and he catches up with Jacob. And it would seem that Laban's going to do harm, too. Jacob. He wanted to do harm to him. He probably wasn't going to bring Jacob back, but he was going to take back the wives and the sons and the cattle and bring it all back for himself. He wasn't happy that Jacob had gone out with all those things. And you would think Jacob is defenseless. I'm sure he had some servants, but probably not enough to take on Laban and defeat him. And we're told in verse 25, Then Laban overtook Jacob. Now Jacob had pitched his tent in the mountain, and Laban with his brethren pitched in the mount of Gilead. I've been reading this portion for a long time now. And this verse kept sticking out to me. And it just bothered me the way it was written so that I noticed it. It says, Jacob had pitched his tent in the mount. Why doesn't it say in the Mount Gilead? Now, just so you know, Mount Gilead is actually a range of mountains. So they're in Padana Ram, which is Syria over here. You're looking at the map. And here's the River Jordan. And as you come from Padana Ram, you come to a mountain range on this side, on the east side of Jordan's River. And that area there is Mount Gilead. It's the mountain range of Gilead. on the west of Jordan would be Israel, what we know as Israel now. It's where I think Gad, the tribe of Gad, settled there in that area of Gilead. And so we know that this is where Jacob is, that he's in Gilead. If you look at verse 21, Back at verse 21, so Jacob fled with all that he had, and he rose up and passed over the river and set his face toward the Mount Gilead, toward Gilead. So he was heading there. Jacob knows he's heading there. And Jacob comes and catches up with him, and he settles in Mount Gilead also, near enough so that they could speak. There wasn't great distances between them. They were all there in that mount. And so it would seem Jacob's pitched his tent in Mount Gilead, but it doesn't say that. And I think there's a spiritual reason, because the Lord isn't fixing our eyes on carnal things and earthly things. He's telling us that Jacob is pitched on a mount, but it's not on a mount of earthly defenses and of earthly things. You see, Jacob was fixed upon the mount of Christ's righteousness. He's trusting in the Lord his Redeemer to provide for him. That's why he doesn't say he was fixed on Mount Gilead, because that's not his defense. He's fixed on the mount, the mount of the Lord. And what do we know about this mount? Not the physical location, but Abraham spake of a mount at one time, didn't he? He did. He spoke of it in Genesis 22 verse 14 when he was going to sacrifice his son Isaac on a mountain. And he went up there and the Lord provided and delivered Isaac and provided a ransom, provided a sacrifice. and delivered Isaac. And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovah-Jireh. As it is said to this day, in the mount of the Lord it shall be seen. And that's what Jehovah-Jireh means. The Lord sees. The Lord provides. The Lord looks down and He sees we have a need. We cannot provide for ourselves, but the true and living God has provided all that we need. in the Lord Jesus Christ. And that's the mount that Jacob is trusting in. That's the mount that he's resting in and pitched all his tempt in Christ, his Redeemer. And so Jacob, at this time, he's learning this truth. He's learning that God is his Redeemer, that Christ is his Redeemer, and that he provides everything. So that Jacob, who is still a early in his faith, so to speak, but only for 20 years there. But Jacob said at the end of his life to Joseph, his son, the angel of the Lord who redeemed me. That's what he called him later on when speaking to Joseph, the angel of the Lord who redeemed me. He's learning that every time, in every need, in every danger, the one who provided for him was his redeemer, the Lord Jesus Christ. And that's what we're learning here. Whether you've believed for one day, one hour, one year, or a hundred years, we're learning Christ is our Redeemer, our provider, over and over and over again. That in every need you have, Christ provides for you. He gives to you what you need to save you, to deliver you, to protect you. And so it's in that mount, That we have pitched our tents by the grace of God, he's done it in us. We've pitched our tent on that mount, and that's why it doesn't say the Mount of Gilead. Cuz that's not his trust, that's not your trust, our trust, our hope. is Christ. He's our rock, and we are fixed upon him, his righteousness, his satisfaction, his provision for all that we need. Now, the assault of Laban, it begins rather subtly. Laban begins to twist and manipulate these things to make it sound like, Jacob, what have you done? You're being very hasty. You're judging me very harshly, Jacob, as though it was somehow Jacob's fault, and that he misjudged what Laban would have done. Laban would have let him go out okay. It would have been fine. That's what he says in verse 26 and 27. Laban said to Jacob, what hast thou done? that thou hast stolen away unawares to me and carried away my daughters as captives taken with the sword. You're overreacting and fleeing so hastily, Jacob. Wherefore didst thou flee away secretly and steal away from me? And it's not tell me that I might have sent thee away with mirth, and with songs, and with tabret, and with harp. It's very much like the temptation of this world to make us think, what are you doing? Why are you separating from the world? We can get along. We're diverse. We could take you in. It's okay. You don't have to break off everything. I think the reality is we don't break off enough, honestly, from the Lord. But John speaks to this in 1 John 2 verse 15. We're not being hasty at all. John says, Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man loved the world, the love of the Father is not in him. But Jacob loves his father. He longs to go to be with his father. And he's heading back there to Canaan and fleeing Laban's world. He's getting out of there. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life is not of the father, but is of the world. And it's bondage. It is. The more you partake of it, the more you see. It's just more and more enticing to you. It's just so. It's just so. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof, but he that doeth the will of God abideth forever. And so Jacob, being protected of the Lord, having pitched his tent on the righteousness of Christ, he's not buying it. He's not buying it at all. And so the threats start coming out. Verse 29, it is in the power of my hand to do you hurt, but God. But the God of your father spake unto me last night saying, take thou heed that thou speak not to Jacob either good or bad. And I think another interpretation of that is don't let your speech turn from good to bad. Don't get angry as you're talking to him and be provoked and then turn against him and do him harm. You'll regret it, Laban, if you do that. Don't turn against my servant. There. We see in that that Laban did have another purpose. He came to do Jacob harm and take back all that Laban lost and wanted in his house. As a strong man, plunder. He wanted that plunder back. And that's what he came out to do. But who made the difference? God did. Brethren, I declare that to you that you trust your Savior, Christ. Trust in the true and living God who preserves you and protects you and provides all that you need. God would not allow this devil of a man to touch his servant and do him any harm that he had purposed to do. And you that trust Christ, believe him. Stay upon him. No devil, nothing can touch your soul and take you out of His hand. He's provided everything you need. Rest in the true and living God. Rest in the Savior whom the Father has sent to save you from your sins. He's your provider. He's your righteousness. Now, the enemy may huff and puff and rage against us, but he has nothing to sink his teeth into. And that's the next thing I want to show you He's going to accuse, but he'll find nothing to take your life. Nothing can take you and pluck you out of Christ's hand. Because in Jesus Christ, you have no sin. All your sin is put away forever. Forever. Even though the accuser of the brethren comes and casts up our sin and throws it in our face, in Christ, The believer's sin is put away. His sons and daughters, their sin is put away. His wife, his church is spotless, without wrinkle, having no blot, no spot, no sin, no darkness at all. You are beautiful white, made white by the righteous robe of Christ himself. for perfectly righteous, and you shall not die in your sins. So let me show you this. Laban comes and he accuses Jacob of stealing his gods, verse 30. He says, and now, though thou wouldest needs be gone, because thou sore longest after thy father's house, Yet wherefore hast thou stolen my gods? I can let you go, but there's something that needs to be settled here. You've taken something from me, Jacob. You've taken something from me that I want returned. Now, in regard to that accusation, this is what Jacob says in verse 32. With whomsoever thou findest thy gods, let him not live. You can put him to death. Before our brethren, discern thou what is thine with me, and take it to thee. For Jacob knew not that Rachel had stolen them. Look back at verse 19. And Laban went to shear his sheep, and Rachel, she goes into the tent of Laban, and she stolen the images that were her father's. And now Jacob calls a curse down. upon whoever these gods are found. There's a curse on the one who stole, the one justly stole those images, which means terrafim. People would inquire of those false gods. They would ask those gods, can you tell me whether I should do this or that, or go here or there? It's false gods. And so there's a curse now spoken. And so brethren, there's a picture here. There's a picture of our salvation and what Jesus Christ does for us. Now we're not told why Rachel stole these gods. And I've read in different commentaries and they try to make an excuse. They try to make it look good what Rachel did. And some say that she was trying to take those terrafim away so her daddy couldn't inquire of them and know which way they went. Well, Laban knew which way they went. He knew where Jacob was going. And so he was heading back toward home, toward his father. So he knew which way to go. And then another idea that's put forth is that she would shame Laban to say, look, what gods are these that I could just come and take these gods and they can't deliver themselves? So some say that she was trying to shame him, but I think She was just turning to the flesh, right? Her dad had wronged. her and her husband and their children by stealing from Jacob. And so she thought, well, there's a little precious metal value in here, silver or gold, and I'm just going to take this. I'm going to pay him back. I'm going to do to him what he did to us, and I'm going to take it. It's sin, right? We're not told otherwise that it isn't. She took the gods. What would a believer do in taking gods? But we see this in ourselves. We turn to the flesh, don't we? There's a lot of times where We would do what's right, but a lot of times we get provoked, and we turn to anger, and we say things we ought not to say, and we do things that we ought not to do. And it's sin. We're committing iniquity and sin, and we're doing to others what they've done to us, and justifying ourselves. And so it's sin, just like us. We are sinners in this flesh. And so the picture here isn't to make an excuse for Rachel, The picture here is what Christ has done to cover our sin and to put it away so that it cannot be found ever again. And so there's a blessing here in what the Lord Jesus Christ has accomplished for us in removing our sin, putting it away so it cannot be found. And this is why we will not die and come under that curse and be put to eternal death. No, we have eternal life in our Savior. These are the redemption blessings of Jesus Christ for his people. He obtained life for us by his blood, and that's what we're gonna see here. So Laban, he begins to seek for these stolen gods in all the tents. He's going from tent to tent. Jacob's and Leah's and Zilpah's and Bilhah's, and now he comes up to Rachel's tent. And remember, here is the curse, with whomsoever thou findest thy gods, let him not live. Rachel, whom he loves, is under a curse now. He loves her. Now Rachel, verse 34, had taken the images and put them in the camel's furniture. She hid them in the camel's furniture and sat upon them. And Laban searched all the tent, but found them not." What is the Gospel here? What is the Gospel being declared here? These images are all hidden away in the camel's furniture. What did we see earlier about these camels? What are these camels? These are the blessings of Christ, His provision for us, what He's provided for us in His redemption, not only to come and bring the treasures of Christ to us, but to carry us safely through the wilderness all the way till we reach our heavenly canyon. and come into the embrace and arms of our husband and before our Heavenly Father. And so these camels, they picture the blessings of Christ. This is the foretaste of what our Savior has done for his people. And what On these camels, nothing's going to pluck you from Christ's hand. Nothing's going to pluck you from the Father's hand. You are Christ's. His blood has bought you, purchased you. You're His and nothing can take you away from Him. He's redeemed you. We are His purchased possession. And this is what our Lord accomplished for us on the cross. His blood cleanseth us from all sin. It's hidden away. It can never be seen or found again. Though the accuser come and accuse, he's got nothing on you because Christ has put it away. It's hidden away forever. And so verse 35, she said to her father, Let it not displease my Lord that I cannot rise up before thee, for the custom of women is upon me, and he searched but found not the images. She's saying to Laban, it's an issue of blood, and I can't get up so that you could find out my sin. It's an issue of blood. My sin will never be discovered. You've got nothing on me. It cannot be found. And that's what Christ has done. It's an issue of blood. His blood is shed. It covers. All our sin and everything we need is hid and stored up for us in the camel, in the camel's furniture. It's away forever. You're Christ and nothing's going to pluck you from his hand. Your sin can never be found. The accuser may come and roar and strike at you and try to get you, but there's nothing he's got on you. The sin is put away forever, never to be found. We don't even hear of these things. ever again. They're gone. Gone for good. Gone forever. So that in verse 36 and 37, Jacob was wroth and he chode with Laban. And Jacob, a picture of our Lord, said to Laban, what is my trespass? What is my sin? What have you found? Nothing. You've got nothing. Said it here before my brethren and thy brethren, what's my sin? Let them judge and discern between us. There's nothing. before the throne of God, there is no sin, brethren. You have no sin, nothing found in you, because Christ's blood covers all our sin. It's an issue of blood, brethren, an issue of blood. And so our Lord declares to us, And all these blessings were dead to the law. The law is satisfied. The curse is put away from us. That curse has nothing on us. And the justice of God is satisfied. cannot be slain for your sin, because Christ was slain for our sin and put it away for his people. So believe, brethren, on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house and all that you have shall be saved and delivered by the Lord Jesus Christ. All the rich treasures of Christ's redemption shall never be stripped away from us because of your sins. His blessings which flow from Him will carry you safely home through the wilderness until you reach at home that heavenly kingdom. I pray the Lord bless that word to your heart's contentment. Amen.